Jawahir Roble: Referee, Inspiration

Orfi Active is more than just an app for organising and finding sports and fitness events – we want to use our platform to persuade people that active is for everyone. And that’s been our aim for years, stretching back to our time as Hoops Connect, when we interviewed famous and inspirational figures from the world of sport to communicate this message. So, we’re digging through the vaults to republish some of our favourites.

JJ is a football referee. She’s also a Muslim woman of Somalian descent who takes to the pitch in a hijab. She’s an FA Youth Leader, and a volunteer with racism in football charity Kick It Out and football education charity Football Beyond Borders. A recent article in the Telegraph described her as “the most remarkable referee in England”. We caught up with her to hear her story.